Book Description
This landmark book focuses on the methodology used to measure human biological age. Although functional decline appears to be an inevitable and inescapable consequence of aging, there are often considerable differences between individuals with respect to the rate and extent of this decline. Individuals may be young or old in relation to their number of years. As a result, age-related disease or age-related death may occur at different chronological ages. It follows that the true or practically relevant age of an individual is not adequately defined by the time that has elapsed since birth; rather, it is expressed as "biological age"-a figure reflecting the individual's progressive inability to respond adaptively to an environmental stress that leads to a decreased viability and increased vulnerability to death. This book features contributions from leading investigators in the field and represents a comprehensive worldwide collection of the most recent research on estimating human biological age. Tests described in the book can be used to monitor the effects of any interventional therapy, including drug treatment, behavioral therapy, and lifestyle modification.